While I held our three-year-old Shih Tzu, the vet put him to sleep. He’d had a very difficult, short life, manifesting periods of what the vet called, “rage syndrome.”

Tears streaming down my cheeks, my husband and I went to pick up adorable, fifteen-week-old, “Lili.” She snuggled into my arms and my heart and helped the hurt go away with her kisses. She was with me when we buried our “Bandit” the next day, looking at me with her huge eyes as if to say, “It’s okay, Mama. I’ll be here for you.”

And she was. She was a wonderful baby, a sweet young lady and now, a mature adult. She is everything our breed should be. When people visit, Lili greets them, adopts them and loves them. Everyone adores Lili. She is the pick puppy whenever people come to see the baby puppies. “We’ll take her,” is the common response as Lili does her thing.

Lili took me to obedience classes when she was five months old. She thrived on learning and showing the instructor how smart a little, fluffy puppy can be. She learned quickly, retained everything and was the highest scoring dog in class. (Yes, even over all those Labs, Goldens, Shelties and Border Collies.) She was proud and so was I.

We continued with classes. Lili was a big hit. I was asked to be an instructor. WOW!

As I began teaching other dog owners, Lili was my “demo” dog. Her attention to me and her job was unbelievable. She did her demos just like the big dogs but got more attention from the students because she was so little and cute. They hadn’t seen “dust mops” do that before. She made me proud of her and our breed.

She went to school with me, quickly becoming the class mascot of 20 five-year-olds. They taught her to jump through a hoop and greet our visitors politely. One prospective parent’s comment was, “How much nicer than a Guinea Pig.” The children learned to respect and appreciate her, always treating her kindly. They loved to give her the basic commands and have her do her “tricks.”

As my involvement with our breed grew, Lili became the queen of the house. She disciplines all the puppies making sure they know their place in the doggy hierarchy. She tolerates the other grown dogs as long as they stay out of “her” space, especially on my bed at night.

Lili is a true ambassador for our breed. She spends overnights at friends who want a puppy to borrow for just a little. She takes over when staying at Ann’s house and puts their queen in another realm. Recently, a fifth grader, who lost her Shih Tzu in an accident, asked if I had a dog she could borrow for a “Pets on Parade” at school. My answer was, “Lili could do it.” Leslie came to get Lili the night before. I showed her how she could dance, roll over, play dead, heel, sit, down and finish. Duly impressed, she took Lili home for the night and the school parade. Lili slept on her bed, where all queens sleep, of course. She was the hit of the class performing all her specialties for Leslie. Upon return, her mom’s comment was, “I want a Lili.”

Lili spent another day with me in the Media Center, where I work, as an addition to a Mother Goose production. She was Old Mother Hubbard’s dog and, again, did her tricks for a five-year-old performer. Others watching replied that their dogs were delinquent. They wanted a Lili.

Everyone who meets her wants a Lili. She is a very special girl who has added joy to my life in her zest for hers. She has her quirks, as all of them do, but there isn’t another dog in the world like Lili. She is truly the “queen of our house.”
p.s. Lili turns 11 years old on February 15, 2001 but still acts as if she’s only three.